National Security Advisor John Bolton said on CNN's "State of the Union" that "it's possible" the Trump administration will impose sanctions on companies that run afoul of the new USA policies.

US President Donald Trump's pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal has upset Washington's European allies, cast uncertainty over global oil supplies and raised the risk of conflict in the Middle East.

German exports to Iran totalled almost 3 billion euros in 2017, while French exports soared from 562 million euros in 2015 to 1.5 billion in 2017 and oil giant Total has pledged to invest some $5 billion in the South Pars gas field. The rapid growth in Irish exports in just two years since sanctions were lifted reflects the appetite for western products.

"China and Iran have comprehensive strategic partnership and are trade partners and these relations still continue", he noted.

In a separate interview on CNN's "State of the Union, " he said Iran's economic condition is "really quite shaky, " so the impact of sanctions "could be dramatic". Bolton said on ABC's "This Week".

A number of European companies, including Airbus, Siemens and Total, had established operations in Iran since the signing of the deal.

However, he added the US "sanctions regime that is now in place is very clear about what the requirements are", hinting that Washington is prepared to go after European companies and allies if they try to continue to do business with Iran. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, has backed Trump on the treaty and called Iran the "biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world".

Putin has already spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about efforts to save the accord, after voicing his "deep concern" over Trump's decision.

"The consequences of American sanctions go well beyond goods shipped by American companies, " Bolton said.

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped for a "clear future design" of the deal as he began a series of diplomatic tours aimed at rescuing the agreement.

Theresa May reiterated the UK's position on the Iran deal during a phone call with President Trump on Friday, and noted the commitment from the United Kingdom and European partners in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

"I think at the moment there's some feeling in Europe - they're really surprised we got out of it, really surprised at the reimposition of strict sanctions".

Germany said it will spend the next few months trying to persuade Washington to change its mind. "He [Trump] makes the decisions, and the advice I give him is between us", Bolton said.

Germany's minister for economic affairs, Peter Altmaier, said on Sunday that Berlin would try to "persuade the USA government to change its behavior".

'The Prime Minister reiterated the Government's position on the Iran nuclear deal, noting that we and our European partners remain firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld, as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

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